1. Field of the Invention
The invention has generally to do with spherical projectiles capable of sensing their spatial location and orientation while in an airborne trajectory, and more particularly a ball capable of using location and orientation information to move towards and capture images of a particular ground-based subject of interest.
2. Description of Related Art
Projectiles with embedded cameras, including spherical ball-shaped cameras, exist in prior art with suggested uses for military surveillance, reconnaissance and general recreation.
Ball-shaped cameras with a 360-degree view around the circumference of the sphere exist in prior art.
The combination of a camera and a location-sensing unit, both embedded in a projectile, is taught in prior art. Conventional model rockets are equipped with a camera and sensor triggered by a change in the orientation of the rocket body at the apogee of its trajectory.
Great Britain patent GB2444391 teaches of a resilient object, which can be thrown or kicked, to a point of interest, capable of transmitting audio and video information captured by an embedded camera. The description of this resilient object teaches of the use of a GPS sensor and an orientation sensor to provide location information and orientation information, however no description is provided of how these sensors are used for a meaningful capture of image data while the object is airborne. This resilient object is further disadvantaged by its inability to change its own trajectory. The inflatable housing and cubic shape of the preferred embodiment present impractical aerodynamic impediments with respect to drag if a pitched or projected airborne trajectory is desired.
Great Britain patent GB2407725 (A) describes a camera mounted inside a ball. As with the resilient object of patent GB2444391, this ball is disadvantaged by its inability to store and analyze successive frames of captured image data. The ball is further disadvantaged by its inability to capture successive frames of image data captured while spinning or precessing past a ground-based subject in order to produce a meaningful video stream. This ball is further disadvantaged by its inability to change its own trajectory.
Japan patent JP2001042420 describes a camera mounted inside an impact-resistant ball. This patent is disadvantaged by requiring external surface-mounted fins to ensure that the camera provides images from a desirable orientation.
The “Flee” camera conceived by Turkish designer Hakan Bogazpinar at http://www.behancenet/hbogazpinar describes a camera mounted inside a ball that takes pictures at customizable time intervals. This patent is disadvantaged by requiring an external surface-mounted aerodynamic tail to ensure that the camera provides images from a desirable orientation.
The “Satugo” camera conceived by Danish designers Eschel Jacobsen and Mads Ny Larsen at http://www.satugo.com/ describes a camera mounted inside a ball that is triggered on impact with a fixed surface or at preset time intervals.
It is known in prior art, including in above references, that a ball can contain a camera that captures one image or multiple snapshots in the course of its trajectory. It is known in prior art, including in above references, that a ball can contain a camera that captures continuous video in the course of its trajectory. It is known in prior art, including in above references, that a ball can contain a camera that stores images, which can be uploaded for viewing on a computer when the ball is retrieved.
It is known in prior art, including in above references, that a ball can contain a camera with logic for controlling the capture of photographs or video for a preset duration, or based on preset intermittent time intervals over a portion of the course of its trajectory.
It is known in prior art, including in above references, that the camera's orientation relative to its external environment can be stabilized and controlled during flight by aerodynamic means, such as by attachment with a fixed pair of tailfins mounted on the outer housing.
It is known in prior art, including in above references, that a camera moving on an airborne trajectory may be triggered by an external signal from a transmitter.
It is known in prior art, including in above references, that a camera moving on an airborne trajectory may be triggered by a switch that senses impact with a solid object.
It is known in prior art that a camera contained within a housing can operate independent of the orientation of its own exterior housing, using mechanical gyroscopes or digital stabilization techniques. Such methods are employed in ordinary cell phones and digital cameras to remove jitter.
It is known in prior art that fixed perturbations on the exterior surface of a ball can alter the ball's aerodynamic profile. Dimples on a conventional golf ball such as shown in FIG. 1 improve performance by creating a thin unseparated boundary layer of turbulent air between the surface and the high-speed layer.
A golf ball dimple is of a critical size and contour so as to induce the creation of a thin layer of turbulence between the ball's exterior surface and a high-speed layer of moving air, with a goal of producing lift for the longest possible trajectory. A dimple with a fixed depth on a golf ball produces an optimal result for a single aerodynamic condition, and an acceptable sub-optimal result over a range of aerodynamic conditions. Golf ball dimples produce an undesirable drag at lower windspeeds.
Similarly, the rigid ridges on the upper surface of a Frisbee flying disc produce a desirable increase in lift over a significant portion of the disc's airborne trajectory, but produce an undesirable increase in drag at other portions of the disc's trajectory. The ridges are not physically changed in their size, number or shape during flight.
A conventional football is ellipsoid-shaped to eliminate bluff leading and trailing surfaces ordinarily associated with sphere-shaped projectiles, thus improving laminar flow from head to tail.
It is known in prior art that airborne projectiles can contain internal logic and mechanical systems that alter their own trajectories. For example, missiles may contain guidance systems and mechanical gyroscopes to control a flight path. It is known in prior art that airborne projectiles can contain external aerodynamic systems that alter their own trajectories. For example, missiles may contain electromechanical fins to control a flight path.
Recreational balls such as so-called goof-balls contain spring-mounted weights or other simple mechanisms to shift the center of lift while in flight, creating either a spiraling or a randomly shifting trajectory. Such balls are disadvantaged by an inability to purposefully control their trajectory.